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Lot Essay
In 1975, art dealer Luciano Anselmino, for whom Warhol had previously completed an edition of his Man Ray portrait (Feldman & Shellmann II.148 and II.149), commissioned Warhol to produce a series on drag queens. Under Warhol's instruction, Bob Colacello went to The Gilded Grape, a club frequented by trans people and drag performers of color, to recruit several willing participants. These individuals were offered $50 an hour in exchange for their portrait. Never introduced to Warhol by name, the sitters arrived at the Factory and had their Polaroid taken.
Describing these images in a review of the paintings in October 1975, Pier Paolo Pasolini wrote: ‘…it is to be noticed that the photograph always seems to be obsessively the same, always from the front or from a three-quarter view, never in profile; always “posed,” never from life; always in the manner of the film “Stars,” never in the manner of everyday passing shots.’ In their poses, these sitters were placed on equal footing with the cultural icons Warhol had previously depicted. Similarities in pose, collaged color, and androgyny can be drawn between these sitters and the Mick Jagger (lot 18, see Feldman & Schellmann II.138-147) series produced the same year. Both of these new series of prints were exhibited at the Max Protetch gallery in December 1975, along with ‘Gerald Ford Political Portraits, Flowers, other Warhol Favorites.’
The sitters featured here include: Alphanso Panell, Broadway, Wilhelmina Ross, Monique, Marsha P. Johnson, Iris, Easha McCleary, and Vicki Peters.
Describing these images in a review of the paintings in October 1975, Pier Paolo Pasolini wrote: ‘…it is to be noticed that the photograph always seems to be obsessively the same, always from the front or from a three-quarter view, never in profile; always “posed,” never from life; always in the manner of the film “Stars,” never in the manner of everyday passing shots.’ In their poses, these sitters were placed on equal footing with the cultural icons Warhol had previously depicted. Similarities in pose, collaged color, and androgyny can be drawn between these sitters and the Mick Jagger (lot 18, see Feldman & Schellmann II.138-147) series produced the same year. Both of these new series of prints were exhibited at the Max Protetch gallery in December 1975, along with ‘Gerald Ford Political Portraits, Flowers, other Warhol Favorites.’
The sitters featured here include: Alphanso Panell, Broadway, Wilhelmina Ross, Monique, Marsha P. Johnson, Iris, Easha McCleary, and Vicki Peters.